Chapter 116
Note: Early release, thanks to Sakuradahl's support on Ko-Fi! ʚ( ⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝)ɞ
A violin soloist?
Upon hearing this, Mu Cai was deeply moved.
The proposition was quite compelling for him, after all, he was once a violin soloist in the real world. He had stopped performing on stage due to an injury, but he could never forget the sense of fulfillment and happiness he used to feel up there.
Standing in front of him, the man's soft black hair fell lazily around his ears, his profile warm in the glow of the setting sun. He seemed to be lost in thought, his lips turning up slightly. With eyes as brilliant as jewels, his face shimmered with an appealing radiance.
An emotion stirred in Pei Jingyun's heart. The softness born deep within him spread like a flood, causing his gaze to soften involuntarily. Pei Jingyun couldn't help but ask again, “Cai Cai, do you want to be a violin soloist?”
Although Pei Jingyun is a businessman and doesn't comprehend art much, he learned from a couple of days of diligent learning that, in the path of music, most talented people become soloists while the orchestra tends to accompany the soloists.
Whenever Pei Jingyun thought about Mu Cai seated on the high stage, eyes half-closed, immersed in music, his throat clenched up instantly. In such moments, Mu Cai was like a campfire lit in the darkness, irresistibly captivating; it was an inspiring sight.
And he was like a moth drawn to that flame.
Despite Pei Jingyun's immense disdain for those attracted by Mu Cai, he wanted to keep seeing Mu Cai shine brilliantly, to remain a giant in his world and an unparalleled king on the stage.
Every time Mu Cai played the violin, his eyes seemed filled with shining stars and his face was lit with excitement. At those moments, Cai Cai was happy.
And Pei Jingyun wanted to give him that happiness.
Hearing the question repeated, Mu Cai was pulled out of his own thoughts. Looking at Pei Jingyun, he saw his gaze firmly fixed on him. It was as if an emotion was swelling within those eyes, brewing, threatening to overflow at any moment.
Mu Cai was moved.
After so many worlds and two meaningful love affairs, he was not as slow on the uptake as before. At this moment, he sensed Pei Jingyun's emotions and felt that Pei Jingyun had something to convey but was yet to speak.
He considered this, then cautiously answered, "Of course, I want to. I am very happy that you think highly of me, Mr. Pei."
"But," added Mu Cai, delicately changing the topic, "the cultivation of a violin soloist is far more challenging than that of a first violinist. The initial investment is considerable, and it is very possible that it won't pay off in the end. I assumed an astute businessman like Mr. Pei would prefer to have me as the first violinist in a symphony orchestra."
After all, the performance opportunities offered by a symphony orchestra far outnumber those of individual performances. The rapid and visible cash inflow, lower costs... Pei Jingyun was not related to him by blood or marriage, yet he was willing to invest time and effort in him. This made Mu Cai often wonder, if Pei Jingyun was recovering his memory and hence treating him so generously.
The man standing across was looking at him with a touch of probing in his gaze, seemingly trying to discern something from his face. Pei Jingyun had been navigating the market for many years and could clearly detect Mu Cai's subtle testing.
It was like a kitten meowing and gently stepping on one's hand with its soft paws, opening its wide eyes, wondering if one would hurt it.
In his heart, Pei Jingyun actually couldn't wait to lure the man in front of him to his side, to bring him to his own bed, and to make him swear to forget about Pei Congliang, allowing only himself in his heart.
But he could not.
He still remembered the dejected look on Mu Cai's face when they were having lunch in the cafeteria and his resistance against his own probing... He could not expose his intentions too obviously, could not scare Mu Cai away, and definitely did not want to burden him.
Therefore, he restrained his overly explicit longing and said gently, "Just because I am a businessman doesn't mean that I wouldn't do such a thing. My foundation sponsors countless students and artists every year, many of whom have given me ample returns. I trust in your potential, and I believe that one day, you too will make my investment worthwhile."
Pei Jingyun's words were half-true and half-false. As a businessman, he indeed conducted a lot of charities and established foundations specifically to fund students and artists.
However, no one has ever made him expend so much effort to stay by his side as Mu Cai did. No one has ever made him satisfy their demands and ideas without considering gains or losses, as Mu Cai did.
A lie often seems most believable when it's mixed with the truth.
And sure enough, Mu Cai believed him.
He was confident that his lover had not regained his memory, nor did he feel disappointed, and thus he readily agreed to the other’s request. Mu Cai was quite confident in himself. After all, he was once a successful violin soloist, confident that he would not let Pei Jingyun suffer a loss. Moreover, he wanted to continue performing onstage, even if this world was merely constructed from psychic energy.
After reaching an agreement, the two had dinner together in the restaurant.
Since arriving at the Pei residence, Mu Cai initially had meals with others in the mansion which was not a pleasant experience. Fortunately, after that, he had been dining alone with Pei Jingyun.
After a satisfying meal, he climbed up to his room, dragging his tired body. After taking a shower and laying down on the bed, he reflected on the day's happenings and then realized something strange.
When Pei Congliang revealed that he had been hiding behind the door watching them, Lin Ling had called him a stalker. However, later on, Pei Jingyun did not ask him for the address over WeChat, yet he was able to accurately locate the music classroom where the symphony orchestra was.
Could it be that they were being followed too?
As soon as Mu Cai thought of this, he felt that he might be overthinking it. With Pei Jingyun's cold personality and his status as the head of a business empire, it was probably just a matter of asking where they were rehearsing.
There's no way someone like him would do something as demeaning as stalking!
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Pei Congliang stood in front of his room's window, his eyes looking out into the layers of darkness outside. Even though he knew that the exquisite three-story building in the backyard was at the farthest corner and that none of the rooms in the villa had a view into the small building's rooms, he was still unwilling to give up, futilely staring in the direction of the small building.
Today, Pei Congliang had specially arranged for a handmade violin from Qinhai Violin Store to be delivered to Mu Cai. He had previously sent Mu Cai an identical violin, but it was accidentally broken by Mu Cai later. Although Pei Congliang regretted it, he didn't blame Mu Cai, nor did he buy him another one.
That was because, at that time, he still had feelings for Lin Ling, with only the intention of letting Mu Cai be the stepping stone for coming out of the closet and not really accepting him.
But now, everything was different.
Pei Congliang was sure that he liked Mu Cai, so he naturally had to take action quickly. Especially now, with many people vying for Mu Cai's attention, if he didn't make a move sooner, he might end up losing Mu Cai's affection, ultimately leaving him to be happily married to someone else.
Pei Congliang simply couldn't accept this. So, he chose the quickest and most effective method to arouse Mu Cai's affection towards him by using their memories together. It has to be said that in terms of speed, precision, and ruthlessness, Pei Congliang behaved very much like a member of the Pei family.
Unfortunately, his opponent was Pei Jingyun.
After struggling at the window for a while, Pei Congliang finally gave up the absurd idea of peering into Mu Cai's room through the darkness of the night and decided to proactively strike up a conversation with Mu Cai on WeChat. Today, Mu Cai had received his violin, and he wondered what his mood would be, would he be willing to exchange a few words with him?
However, just when Pei Congliang was racking his brains on how to initiate a conversation with Mu Cai, a message suddenly popped up on WeChat, and it was from his little uncle who always has an ulterior motive.
The message was as cold and distant as Pei Jingyun himself:
"[Considering your recent good performance at the company, the management team is considering promoting you to General Manager of the Haicheng Branch, effective immediately. We hope you do well over the next three years and then take over the family business when you return to the Pei family.]"
Upon reading this message, Pei Congliang instantly felt a chill in his heart, followed by a surge of anger. But the sender was Pei Jingyun, the head of the Pei family, so it was simply impossible for him to have a tantrum as he usually would.
Even if Pei Congliang knew that this was deliberate on Pei Jingyun's part, deliberately creating a distance between him and Mu Cai. It seemed that his gift to Mu Cai this afternoon was noticed, and Mu Cai's reaction must have enraged Pei Jingyun.
Even though he was confronted with the worst possible outcome, Pei Congliang could still read a hint of advantage for himself from it.
Mu Cai cares about him. One might even say, deeply so.
Otherwise, given Pei Jingyun's character and methods, he wouldn't be in such a hurry to send him away, and for a lengthy three years at that.
Upon arriving at this conclusion, the anger burning in Pei Congliang's heart calmed down a bit. The fact that Mu Cai still cared for him was his greatest advantage. Even Pei Jingyun couldn't change someone's heart that quickly!
So, he had to seize every opportunity to win Mu Cai over.
Pei Congliang swiftly sent a WeChat message to Mu Cai:
"[Mu Cai, I miss you so much.]"
As expected, there was no response.
Undeterred, Pei Congliang quietly unreeled his bedroom door and silently descended the stairs. It was now nine at night, a time awkward yet justifiable. Everyone in the villa had finished their work and were starting to relax; the older folks would be going to bed in an hour or two. Hence, the villa was peacefully quiet, unlike the wee hours which could easily alert people.
He moved silently out of the villa, making a large circle to find the most inconspicuous corner of the backyard. Even though Pei Congliang doesn't frequent this spot, he has observed the area while jogging in the morning.
At this hour, it would be impossible for him to saunter into the rear courtyard blatantly. After this incident, Pei Congliang had fully understood what kind of person his uncle is. If he wants to see Mu Cai before leaving, he must resort to some drastic measures.
Although the backyard was heavily guarded and surveillance cameras were installed everywhere, this didn't mean someone would be watching them all the time. The cameras mainly served as evidence after the fact. What Pei Congliang needed to do was to climb into the yard as quickly as possible, find Mu Cai, and persuade him to leave with him.
This corner was covered in vines, which stretched up to the top of the surrounding wall. At the same time, it was also the closest location to the three-story building. Once he climbed in, it would only take a few steps for him to reach the base of Mu Cai's room.
Of course, this wall was challenging to climb, with very fine grids and arrows on top. Luckily, Pei Jingyun hadn't gone crazy enough to install an electric fence outside the wall. So, Pei Congliang's climb was only a bit difficult and awkward.
Looking awkward might be a good thing. Perhaps Mu Cai would feel bad for him and agree to go with him to the seaside city.
Gathering his strength, Pei Congliang used both his hands and feet. Relying on his daily exercise and physical strength, he managed to climb over the wall. Fortunately, he had figured out the patrolling pattern of the villa's security, otherwise, encountering a night patrol guard would be quite embarrassing.
When Pei Congliang fell into the bushes, he felt pain all over his body, seemingly scratched by branches. However, with Mu Cai on his mind, he didn't care and quickly got up, heading towards the small building.
Once he finally reached the base of Mu Cai's building, Pei Congliang was overjoyed. He quickly tidied his hair and continued to send WeChat messages to Mu Cai:
[Mu Cai, I am here to see you.]
[I am right beneath your building.]
He confidently lifted his head, waiting for Mu Cai above to open the window. Like a secret lover, he eagerly awaited his beloved to grant him a glimpse.
Soon, Pei Congliang's patience was rewarded as Mu Cai opened the window.
A slim figure appeared in the window, with wide, surprised eyes looking down at him, like a startled fluffy little creature.
Pei Congliang immediately broke into a smile. However, his smile faded the very next moment.
That's because Mu Cai was not the only one who poked his head out of the window.
Pei Jingyun leaned against the window frame, looking down with a cold gaze. He seemed to be on the phone, saying, "... There's a nuisance, get here immediately. Also, install an electric fence on the wall next time."
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Author's Notes:
Pei Congliang: I want to be Romeo, and Mu Cai is my Juliet! I don't mind traversing and climbing walls for him!
Pei Jingyun: Good, this is a tragedy :)
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